All indications are that the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to take a huge risk to keep one of their better players from leaving in NBA free agency this summer.
After seeming like they may miss the NBA playoffs for a second straight year, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to make massive strides late in the season — with the help of several good trades — and were in the hunt for an NBA title in May. Unfortunately, they came up short in the Western Conference Finals. However, their 2022-2023 success has set a new and higher standard for the franchise.
That is why this summer is going to be very pivotal for the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. They could free up a bit of wiggle room to make moves in NBA free agency, however, they don’t have the salary cap space, or the assets to add another star on the free agent or trade market. Yet, they may not need to if they can keep their core players and they get just a bit better. However, they must keep them first and that is not guaranteed this summer.
Both Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are restricted free agents in July. Both are young talents who proved to be huge role players in the Lakers’ run to the conference finals. While Hachimura will garner interest from around the league, it pales in comparison to the potential Austin Reaves chase.
Related: Top 2023 NBA free agents – Best 100 available with positional breakdowns
Los Angeles Lakers record (’22-’23): 43-39
That chase could be very problematic for the Los Angeles Lakers because there have been rumblings of some major offers that could be tossed in the direction of the undrafted talent who became the team’s third-best player over the last six months. Yet, various reports claim the team would be willing to match any offer.
- Austin Reaves stats (’22-’23): 13.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 40% 3PT
However, there is a risk considering the possible price it could take to keep Reaves. Nevertheless, in a Monday edition of his newsletter from Substack, NBA insider Marc Stein revealed that the Los Angeles Lakers “are a lock to match any offer on Reaves — even if someone signs Reaves to the maximum allowable offer sheet worth nearly $100 million over four years.”
It is understandable why the Lakers want to keep a young player who has flourished with the team. Yet, having a player that goes from making just over $1 million this season to $25 million annually over the next four seasons is a risky proposition if Reaves does not continue to take big steps forward as a player in that time. If he doesn’t it could hamper their title chances for that entire time.